


Jaye's Fictober 2020

by Jayestar



Category: Magic: The Gathering (Card Game), Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica, 少女☆歌劇 レヴュー・スタァライト | Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight (Anime)
Genre: F/F, Gen, M/M, additional tags coming as i post
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:33:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 6,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26766583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jayestar/pseuds/Jayestar
Summary: A big ol' pile of mini fics in keeping with the fictober 2020 event on tumblr.https://fictober-event.tumblr.com/post/628547358001594368/fictober-event-the-prompts-for-2020Day 1: "No, come back!" (Madoka Magica) | Day 2: "That's the easy part." (Revue Starlight) | Day 3: "You did this?" (Madoka Magica) | Day 4: "That didn't stop you before." (Magic the Gathering) | Day 5: "Unacceptable. Try again." (Revue Starlight) | Day 6: "That was impressive." (Revue Starlight) | Day 7: "Yes I did. What about it?" (Revue Starlight) | Day 8: "I'm not doing that again." (Magic the Gathering) | Day 9: "Will you take a look at this?" (Madoka Magica)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 14





	1. Day 1: No, Come back!

Darkness tumbled and rolled around her like rushing water. Mami gasped as the world churned, pushing her to and fro, threatening to knock her off her feet — though she couldn't be certain she was standing at all. She thought she could see shapes — people, maybe, through the gaps in the darkness as it twisted and coiled in the air around her. She thought she could see…

"Kyouko!" Mami managed to force the words out of her mouth past the choking shadows. The redhead was walking — running? — away. Mami reached out, but through the thick, heavy darkness, it was clear neither her hand nor her voice would reach her student. Her friend. Her sister. Despair tugged at her heart as Kyouko moved out of view, obscured by the shadows.

Mami's heart was pounding. She couldn't let Kyouko go. Not again. She screamed out again, "No! Come back!" As the words were leaving her mouth, she could feel the tense but reassuring sensation of sitting bolt upright and tossing a blanket aside.

Mami's eyes darted around the room, and spotted Kyouko, still fast asleep on her couch, another blanket half-heartedly draped over herself. Mami felt herself instantly relax, and wiped some of the sweat from her forehead. 

It seems like Kyouko was the only one to go unawakened, however, as all three of her other friends had sat up in their own makeshift beds and were looking at her in concern. Her clock, ticking neatly away, told her it was around three in the morning.

Mami smiled sheepishly at the trio of girls. "Oh my, what are you three doing up at this hour?"

After a pause, and a yawn, Sayaka was the first to speak up. "You woke us up. You shouted something… are you doing alright?"

Mami smiled and tried to downplay it. She was good at that. "Oh, I'm fine, I must have just been having a bad dream."

"Bad enough to wake you up?" Madoka was clearly the most worried of the three. "I didn't hear what you shouted, but it must have been bad. Are you sure you're okay, Mami?"

Mami waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, I don't even remember what it was about," she lied. "You know how dreams can be. You all go back to sleep. I'll be just fine."

None of the girls seemed entirely satisfied with her answer, least of all Homura, (she was squinting intensely at Mami, either from suspicion or because she didn't have her glasses on,) but they all knew it was too deep into the night to start arguing about it now. The four of them all settled back into their sleeping arrangements, and seemed to go back to sleep.

It only seemed that they had all gone back to sleep, of course. While Mami could hear Sayaka and Madoka dozing away not long after, she suspected she might not go back to sleep after all. She laid there, gazing up at the ceiling, listening to the reliable and soothing ticking of her clock.

After what felt like many minutes — perhaps less, perhaps much more — Mami heard Homura speak, her already quiet voice brought down to a whisper. "You can rest easy, tonight, Mami." Mami sat up on her elbows, just enough to make eye contact with Homura, or at least an approximation of it in the darkness. "I know what you're feeling, I think."

There was a wisdom to Homura's tone that was somewhat unusual for the girl, but it comforted Mami all the same. "You do?"

Mami could just barely make out a small smile for Homura across the unlit room. "I do. We're not going to lose them again. Not this time."

Mami didn't fully understand what Homura was talking about, but she understood the sentiment, and that moment of solidarity quieted her dread, at least for now. She smiled back. "Thank you, Homura. Now, let's try and get some rest."

Homura nodded back at her in approval, and the two of them finally laid back down. The uncertainty of the future was still clinging tight to her, but Mami wrapped her arms around her pillow, and thankfully drifted off in a sleep that came blissfully close to being peaceful.


	2. Day 2: That's the easy part.

It was a perfectly pleasant sunny Saturday at Seisho Music Academy. While a select few members of the 99th class were hard at work training and practicing, just as many, if not more, were taking the day to themselves. Hanayagi Kaoruko was no exception, snoozing away draped over Futaba's motorcycle, which Futaba had been trying to do maintenance on for the past thirty minutes or so.

"Oi, Kaoruko, can you  _ please _ move? I'm trying to work here." Futaba wiped the grease from her hands and tossed the dirty rag to the side.

Kaoruko said nothing, only letting out a single satisfied murmur like a cat on a sunny rock. Futaba had to surpress a smile. After all, she had work to do, and adorable or not, Kaoruko was undoubtedly in the way. Futaba reached down to pinch at Kaoruko's cheek and tugged at her face.

Kaoruko groaned at the sensation, opening her eyes and looking up at Futaba, that familiar entitled pout of hers plastered all over her face. "Are you sure you can't just wait a little longer? It's so comfortable here." As if to prove her point, she settled in tighter onto the warm seat and body of the motorcycle.

"You can go be comfortable somewhere else." Futaba shook her head. "I don't wanna have to drag you off my bike."

"Ugh, fine!" Kaoruko stepped off the bike and stretched herself out a little. "I can't believe you're willing to give that thing more attention than me!" She crossed her arms, and with a little melodramatic huff, dropped herself into a nearby chair.

Futaba rolled her eyes, and knelt down to get to work on her bike. "I give you attention pretty much constantly, Kaoruko. You'll survive for a few minutes while I make sure our ride to school keeps working like it's supposed to."

Kaoruko gasped dramatically and placed her hand against her head, as though she were fainting. "Oh, but Futaba-han, I might wilt if you neglect me like this any longer." She let herself slouch and slide down into her chair. "I'm practically wasting away into nothing over here."

Kaoruko's performance was cut short by a cleaning rag hitting her in the face. "Unless you're gonna learn how to drive anytime soon, you should probably pipe down and let me work."

For a moment, all Kaoruko could do was sputter and gasp in offence. Once she had regained her composure, though, she sat up in her chair and puffed out her chest. "Maybe I  _ will _ learn how to drive!"

Futaba looked at Kaoruko from over her motorcycle. "Really? Will you now."

"Yes! I will!" She stood up and planted her feet on the ground confidently, placing her hands on her hips in a far-too-heroic pose for her. "I'll even learn how to drive a motocycle, and then  _ you _ can hold onto  _ me  _ when we drive for a change!"

Futaba stifled a laugh. It was fun to see Kaoruko so riled up. "What, do you want me to teach you? Or are you going to go get lessons."

Kaoruko stopped to think for a moment, then pointed at Futaba. "I don't know any better drivers than you! It only makes sense that you would be the one to teach me!"

With a start, Futaba realized that Kaoruko might, just might, actually be serious. "Do you even know how to ride a  _ normal  _ bike yet, let alone one of these?"

Kaoruko's stance remained triumphant, but it was clear from her face that the answer was a resounding "no." She remained silent for a moment, evidently trying to think of a response, before Futaba cut her off.

"Tell you what. I'll teach you to ride a normal bicycle first before we move onto the motorcycle, okay? That's the easy part, but you should know how to ride one before you move onto something as dangerous as a motorbike." 

“Oh, ye of little faith!” Kaoruko was fired up and ready to go. “I’ll master it like I do every skill I set my mind to!”

The peace and quiet of that summer Saturday was soon broken by the sound of a bicycle crashing into a tree.


	3. Day 3: You did this?

Damnit, damnit, damnit! Kyouko was running late to meet up with Mami, Madoka, and Homura. She'd been waylaid by a particularly frustrating familiar on the way, and it had kept her occupied far longer than she had planned. They'd been planning to go search for Sayaka, who seemed to have run off or disappeared, and Kyouko wanted to be there when they actually found that idiot. Maybe she'd be able to talk some sense into her this time.

As Kyouko ran, scanning the area for any trace of anyone's magic, she managed to pick up a faint signature of Mami's. By her best guess, she was off in that train station a few blocks away, hopefully with everyone else. She pivoted, and dashed off in that direction.

Rounding a corner, Kyouko could see the entrance to the train station. Now, she could also sense Homura's magic. Not for long, though. Kyouko heard a gunshot, then her stomach dropped and it felt, for a moment, as if time had skipped a beat. A feeling of deep and profound wrongness settled over Kyouko, and she dashed into the train station, weapon in hand.

There was Mami, standing there, facing away. Two of her muskets laid there, discarded on the ground. She was trembling, visibly shaking, and Kyouko thought she could hear sobbing. Past Mami, however, was a sight that shocked Kyouko more.

Two figures on the ground, unceremoniously slumped to the floor. It was Madoka and Homura. They weren't moving, the light was gone from their eyes, and broken pieces of their Soul Gems mingled and scattered the floor around them. It wasn't a difficult story to figure out, especially with smoke still gently streaming from Mami's muskets.

Kyouko was shocked silent for a moment, hands tensing and untensing around the haft of her spear. As she stood, wracked with confusion, Mami's sob seemed to overtake her, and the gunner fell to her knees, burying her head in her hands.

Part of Kyouko wanted to run to her, to help her up, to ease her worries, but the part with any sense kept her locked in place, ready for combat. She finally was able to speak, but only barely. "You… you did this?"

Mami suddenly froze. She turned, and looked over her shoulder at Kyouko, tears flowing freely down her face. "Oh, Kyouko. I'm glad you came." Kyouko could tell she was having trouble even getting the words out.

"Mami, what the hell! Why did you do this!" Now that the initial shock had passed, a familiar anger started boiling up in Kyouko's chest. "They didn't deserve this!"

Mami's body shook as her sobbing slowly turned into a sort of morbid laugh, a sound that chilled Kyouko to the bone. "It was to save them. From what they were going to be. Don't you understand?" After seeing the look of disgust on Kyouko's face, she laughed to herself, and looked away at the ground. "No, I suppose you wouldn't."

"No! No, I don't! You better start explaining yourself!" Kyouko lowered herself into a proper fighting stance, and stared down the end of her spear at Mami, who dragged herself to her feet like a dead body being pulled by strings.

"It's… I had to kill them. They needed to die, just like I do, and just like you do." Kyouko flinched and tensed as Mami produced one of her muskets into her loosely hanging arm. "We're all doomed, Kyouko. This is the only good way."

"Like hell!" Kyouko took a cautious but assured step back. She knew that even normally, she couldn't beat Mami in a direct one on one fight after all these years. It would be a matter of not getting tagged by her ribbons and taking surprise attacks where she could get them, so she'd have to run, and slowly wear Mami down.

"I… I'm sorry, Kyouko, but it has to end. For the good of everyone. I'm so sorry." Mami levelled her rifle at Kyouko and fired.

Kyouko managed to dash away in time for the shot to miss, and dashed out of the train station. As she ducked into a nearby alley, she waited, expecting Mami to be giving chase, but all she heard was silence, and the muffled sound of a rifle clattering to the ground. After a moment of tense and fearful waiting, Kyouko crept back towards the train station, and cautiously peered around the corner.

Mami had doubled over on her knees, and Kyouko could see now that Mami's Soul Gem was dark, pitch dark, nearly as dark as Sayaka's had been last time Kyouko saw her. As Mami fell over on her side, Kyouko frantically searched her pockets for a Grief Seed. Even if Mami wanted to kill her right now, the feeling certainly wasn't mutual! As the realization settled in that Kyouko was out of Grief Seeds, she looked over at Mami, who was straining herself to look up at Kyouko, and Mami smiled at her.

"Maybe we can… still be together." Mami closed her eyes, and Kyouko felt the air around her pulse with the grim, familiar energy of a Witch. As the two of them were pulled into a labyrinth, Mami went limp.

When Kyouko got her bearings again from the sensation of being pulled into a labyrinth, Kyouko found herself seated at one end of a tea table. Across from her sat Mami, eyes closed, and a peaceful expression on her face. She sat in her perfect posture, with a teacup held gracefully in her hand. Their surroundings were bright, warm, and incredibly gaudy.

Kyouko wanted to speak, and ask Mami what had happened, where they were, but before she could, she watched Mami lift the teacup to her mouth, and lower it back down without taking a sip. Something about the motion made Kyouko feel deeply discomforted. As she went to stand up from her chair, she felt a ribbon wrap itself around her waist and pull her back down. The ribbon reminded her of Mami's, but it was immediately clear that it was the Witch's magic. But where was she?

As Mami pantomimed pouring a new cup of tea from a clearly empty teapot, Kyouko realized what was wrong. It was hard to see, but there were ribbons wrapped around Mami's body and arms, and they were moving her around like a puppet. The sight made Kyouko feel sick. The feeling only worsened when Mami passed Kyouko the empty cup she had just poured, and she saw ribbons snake their way towards Mami's mouth and pull it into an imitation of a smile.

Kyouko knew she had to get out of here. Her best bet now was to run, and figure out what had happened. Her odds of facing down a witch that had already trapped her in its lair and succeeding were very low. The logical option was escape.

But right now, Kyouko was angry.


	4. Day 4: That didn't stop you before.

"Ugh!" Ral Zarek, clad in his full official garb, pushed his way through the door, to the obvious dismay of the guards outside. "I don't know how you do it." The planeswalker flopped down onto the ornate and clearly expensive lounging chair.

Teysa Karlov looked up from her paperwork at the intruder in her office. "Good afternoon to you too, Ral. Guildmaster troubles?"

Ral rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Of course. It would be beneath both of our stations for me to bother you over anything less. Wouldn't want to waste your time.

Teysa smiled. "That didn't stop you before." She put her papers aside for a moment and leaned back in her chair. "I've lost count of the amount of times you've come in here asking me to give Tomik extra vacation days."

"Yeah, well, you Orzhov have a habit of working people to death, you know? Makes it hard to see my boyfriend." Ral sighed. "No, it's Guildmaster business this time. I've inherited all the residual paperwork and schemes of a dragon that's been around literally since the first Guildpact! How's a human supposed to keep all that in order!"

Teysa nodded. "I understand where you're coming from. I've inherited all the blood money and dirty work of about a hundred various members of the Ghost Council. I can only be thankful I was trained for this sort of thing." 

"And that's not even considering all the fallout after the invasion! We have too many visionaries and not enough plumbers to actually be rebuilding at the rate we're supposed to!" Ral put his hands over his face and grumbled.

Teysa tapped at her chin for a moment, and sighed. "I have plenty of former League members in my employ. Their ghosts, I mean. I can't do it for free, of course, but I can supply you with some of them to help with infrastructure."

Ral looked over and cocked an eyebrow. "How much? I would like to remind you that public works benefit everyone." He smirked, and sat up in his chair. "Unless you think working lights and running water are overrated, of course."

"Ral, I'd love to be able to do it for free, but I'm not Kaya. I'm planning to stick in this job for a long time, and that means catering to money-grubbing priests and nobles." She sighed. "I won't overcharge you like my predecessors would, but I simply can't do charity work right now."

Ral chuckled. "Well, I'm sure we'll have a deal, then." He stood up and stretched, preparing to head out the door. "Any chance I could convince you to throw in a week off for Tomik?"

Teysa laughed, and returned to her paperwork. "Get out of my office, Ral. I'll think about it."

He did, of course. The two said their goodbyes and Ral made his way out of the building and back onto the streets of Ravnica. As snow began to drift gently down from the grey skies above, Ral sighed. He was going to have his work cut out for him. Everyone was.


	5. Day 5: "Unacceptable. Try again."

The students were separated into two rows, each five students long. Each student was wrapped in traditional garb, kimonos bound tightly at the waist, and while the fabric itself wasn't incredibly heavy, it all added up.

The ten girls were drilling, performing intricate and graceful dance steps. Smooth, intentional movements designed to command the eye in a way that quicker-paced styles simply couldn't. The room was silent save the equally traditional music playing from a speaker in the corner of the room.

Suddenly, one of the girls, a young lady with a short shock of blonde hair, stumbled in one of her steps, losing her balance and interrupting the grace and rythym of the whole class.

While the girl did her best to regain her balance and reassume the posture required, her mistake could not go unnoticed. Their teacher walked over to her, steps slow and soft yet somehow still intimidating.

The teacher was a woman in perhaps her mid-sixties. Her hair was shoulder-length and a deep blue, and it was clear that this woman, even now, took great care of her appearance. When her students were feeling less than respectful (and knew for sure she was out of earshot) they called her "Old Lady Hanayagi."

"What was that?" The teacher looked down at the blonde girl, and when all the other students moved to stop dancing, Hanayagi looked back up and barked that they were to continue dancing.

As her gaze turned back down to the blonde, the young girl was able to squeak out, "It was an accident, Ms. Hanayagi! I'm sorry."

"Unacceptable. Try again." The older woman glared down at her. "Anything less than perfection is failure."

And so she did. The girl demonstrated the steps again, then again, then again. 

She drilled until the other students had properly finished their routines, and then she drilled until the other students had left to change. Only then did the old lady let the girl stop.

"Let this be a valuable lesson to you.” The old woman produced a fan from her sleeve, and pointed it at the girl. “If you have no intention of being the best, your time would be better spent elsewhere. Do you understand?” The girl nodded frantically, both afraid of her teacher and now in a hurry to leave.

“Good. I expect you to practice your forms and movements during your spare time. Further missteps will not be tolerated. Now go.”

As the girl scurried out of the room, the old woman stood there for a moment. She pressed her fan against her lips, and for a time, she stood there in thought. Reminiscing, and remembering the path that brought her to where she is. Remembering…

“Hey, Kaorukoooo!” Opening her eyes, Kaoruko saw Futaba leaning over her, poking her face. “Are you alright? You looked like you were dreaming.”

Kaoruko rubbed her eyes and yawned. “I think so… it was a weird dream.” She stretched herself out, but couldn’t shake a confused expression from her face.

Futaba smiled down at her. “Weird, huh? Good weird, or bad weird?”

Kaoruko furrowed her brow for a second. “I… I don’t know.” A second passed, then Kaoruko shrugged. “Oh well. No sense worrying about it.”

Futaba cocked an eyebrow at her for a second, but didn’t press it any further. “Alright, well, Banana’s almost finished dinner, so you better hurry and drag yourself out of bed.”

“Oh, can’t you just bring it up to me? You know I’m so very tired.”

“You can come down to dinner yourself. You can’t just eat in your room all the time just because you’re a little bit sleepy.” Futaba rolled her eyes and walked over to the door. “Come on, let’s head down.”

“Fine. I’ll grace everyone with my presence.” Kaoruko stood up, straightened out her hair, and the two of them went downstairs to join their classmates for dinner.


	6. Day 6: "That was impressive."

Deep beneath Seisho Music Academy, the sounds of clashing blades could be heard. Metal on metal, a ringing sound that echoed throughout the massive underground theatre. Also filling the chamber was the sound of music, bellowing and dramatic, scoring the singing and dueling of the combatants.

Taking a short leap back, Kaoruko steadied herself to take another rush at her opponent, who she had yet to land a meaningful hit on. Across from her, at the end of a marble hall lined with finely wrought pillars, stood Tendou Maya, standing unharmed and unfazed by Kaoruko's attempts at striking her.

"You won't get anywhere like this, Hanayagi-san." Maya's expression was cold, imperial, and determined. Her eyes drilled holes into Kaoruko, who was left with no other option but to tighten her hands around her naginata's haft and go in for another strike.

Easily parried, and Kaoruko was only narrowly able to avoid Maya's counterattack. Her weapon was well suited for defending against slashing weapons, but when it came to weapons like Maya's rapier, her best option was still to stay clear of her if Maya could close range.

Maya's sword clipped the button on Kaoruko's coat as she leaped back again. No matter what she did, it still felt like she couldn't land a single hit on her foe. As Kaoruko stood back and tried to look for an opportunity to attack. However, as Kaoruko hesitated, Maya rushed her, nearly severing her cord in a single strike.

"Do you really think you can win with that attitude? Only taking the path of least resistance?" Kaoruko barely deflected another savage blow from Maya. "You would insult the stage by hoping to stumble upon it."

A thousand retorts swirled in Kaoruko's head, but she was too focused on defending herself. The music swelled and boomed around them as Kaoruko was forced backwards, step by step.

"The stage is not a place to go when you run away from something else!" Another blow, one that threatened to crack the haft of Kaoruko's spear. "The stage is something you run towards, at the cost of all other things!"

Kaoruko took an opprotunity to dodge away, and to escape between the marble pillars that formed their stage, into something of a garden that bloomed outside. "What good is the stage when you've sacrificed everything?" She'd have the advantage in a more open space. "Are you just supposed to throw your dreams on the fire for it? Shouldn’t you let others burn, to shine by their light?"

"No!" Maya lunged out into the field, barely dodging a surprise attack from Kaoruko. "You burn, and when you do, you create a bonfire, a light to inspire others. Your dream will light the way for everyone else who wishes to stand on the stage."

"Isn't that a little pretentious, Tendou-han?" Kaoruko swung and spun her blade around. With the constant motion, Maya could no longer risk getting too close. "Is other people's admiration really enough for you?"

Maya took a couple cautious steps back. "It isn't just admiration. It's giving others that drive to succeed, to follow you until the end where both of you can shine like no others, and letting them push you forward." Seeing Kaoruko step back and prepare for a powerful attack, Maya braced herself. Just as Kaoruko launched herself forward into a finishing strike, Maya spoke again. "Don't you have anyone like that, Hanayagi-san?"

Maya's question forced Kaoruko to think, and gave Maya enough time to grab the haft of Kaoruko's naginata in her free hand, halting her motion entirely. Seizing the opportunity, Maya brought her sword upwards, giving Kaoruko no time to dodge — the button was served from her coat. 

In the moment before it hit the ground, Maya pushed and released the naginata, effectively shoving Kaoruko to the ground, sputtering in shock and indignation, searching for something to say, something worth saying here, but Maya beat her to it. “That was impressive. But not enough.”

Kaoruko was still searching for something to say, something to prove that her loss was a fluke, when the curtain fell.


	7. Day 7: Yes I did. What about it?

It was quiet in the dorm rooms. Maya sat alone on the couch, flipping through the pages of some script or novel. Sunlight filtered gently in through the windows, despite the half-drawn curtain’s best efforts. The peace and quiet was broken for only the slightest moment by the sound of a door opening and shutting, letting in for only a second of the sounds of the street.

Maya looked up to see Claudine round the corner into the living room. She smiled at her and nodded in greeting as Claudine took a seat on the couch next to her. The two sat next to each other for a moment in silence. Eventually, Claudine spoke, breaking the silence.

“I heard you also performed as Zeus in the revues.”

“I did. I take it you did as well, then?”

“I did.” Claudine looked over at Maya, a determined smile on her face. “I wish we could have compared our performances. I only have hearsay to go on.”

“Oh? “ Maya smiled back. “And what have you heard?”

“Well, I’ve heard it was a masterful performance, of course, but…” Claudine trailed off, determined smile fading away into something else.

“But?”

“I heard you injured Nana.”

“Yes, I did.” Maya looked Claudine in the eyes. “What about it?”

Claudine didn’t respond immediately. “Why? Was it for the sake of winning?”

Maya shook her head ever so slightly. “If it had been a better performance for my loss, then I would have lost.”

Claudine’s brow furrowed. “Better performance? You stabbed Nana twice because you thought it would create a  _ better performance? _ ”

Maya nodded. “It was a tale of betrayal and loss. I simply played the part how I thought best.”

“You can’t just go around stabbing people for the drama of it all!”

“And yet here we sit.” Maya looked back down at her book and turned the page. “Regardless, Daiba-san is fine now. I don’t see any reason to fuss.”

“Did you know that she would be fine  _ before _ you stabbed her? Twice? You could have permanently injured her!”

Maya’s expression darkened, almost imperceptibly, but not imperceptibly enough. “I don’t believe this conversation will get us anywhere.”

“You… you infuriating woman!” Claudine stood up from the couch. “I know sometimes you can let the stage get the better of you, but this? We aren’t done talking about this!”

Maya turned another page of her book. “We are for now.”

Claudine turned and stormed away up the stairs, leaving the living room in silence again. Once she was gone, Maya closed her book quietly, and sighed. She sat there, for a long time, thinking. 


	8. Day 8: I'm not doing that again.

It was just starting to rain when Ral and Tomik walked out of the tent, accompanied by hundreds of other showgoers and thrillseekers, as they made their way back out onto the street.

Ral glanced back up at the tent, a big top made from ostentatious vibrant reds and deep blacks, and chuckled. "That was quite a show, wasn't it?"

Ral felt Tomik's hand tighten around his. "I'm not doing that again." Looking down at his boyfriend, Ral saw that Tomik was nearly as pale as his work robes.

"Tomik, are you alright? You look more like a ghost than some of your coworkers!" Even when worried, or perhaps especially when worried, Ral couldn't help but crack wise.

"I hate those shows." Tomik shuddered. "I kept expecting someone to get skewered, or something."

"Oh, shit. I'm sorry, Tomik. Why didn't you say anything?"

"You had already bought the tickets, and you seemed so excited, I just… didn't want to shut you down."

"Oh, you dunce. I'd rather have wasted the tickets then dragged you out to something you're uncomfortable with."

"Don't worry, I'm fine, I just can never get used to Rakdos shows, even when nobody dies." Tomik shook his head. "They're just too cavalier about it. Death isn't anything special, just… it's no surprise that I'm used to it being taken a little more seriously."

Ral nodded. "It does seem like they can be in a hurry sometimes, but I think that unexpectedness and surprise factor are pretty central to the cult and their shows."

"And there isn't really anything wrong with that," Tomik continued, "I just can't see the appeal of intentionally slapping spikes on everything just for its own sake."

Ral shrugged. "Well, that's Rakdos for you. Either way, I'll make sure I pick a better date venue next time we get a chance."

"Whenever that is." Tomik chuckled, the colour returning to his face. "You're running on a guildmaster's schedule and I'm managing another one. You might have to bribe Teysa at this rate."

Ral smiled. "I'm sure I'll come up with something." He gave Tomik's hand a small squeeze. "Now, did you have anywhere you wanted to grab dinner?"

Tomik looked at Ral in feigned shock. "What, all that and you didn't even make us a reservation?" He shook his head. "You're unbelievable, Ral."

Ral shrugged smugly. "I knew we'd figure something out. Besides, I'm one of the most important humans in Ravnica now. I'm sure I'll be able to get us some seats."

Tomik laughed. "And I thought you said you weren't going to let that go to your head."

"We both know humility has never been my strong suit." Ral leaned over and planted a quick kiss on Tomik's cheek. "Come on, that goblin family's restaurant you won't admit you like should have seats for us. Unless you have any better ideas?"

Tomik smiled, and bowed melodramatically. "Lead on, O glorious Guildmaster of the esteemed Izzet League." Standing up, he returned Ral's kiss. "I have all night off. We should make the most of it."

"Oh, I intend to." As the rain began to properly pour down, the two of them walked to their destination, kept dry by a curtain of Ral's magic. "I'll make sure we don't waste a second."


	9. Day 9: Will you take a look at this?

On an otherwise perfectly normal Sunday, Kyouko Sakura sat on the roof of a three-story building, feet kicking idly over the edge. She reached into the white plastic bag on the ground behind her, and produced a bag of chips. 

She was just tearing the bag open, when she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. She looked over to see Sayaka, still in school uniform, walking towards her. As they made eye contact, they waved at each other, and Sayaka joined Kyouko in sitting over the edge.

As Sayaka sat herself down next to Kyouko, she grinned, then asked, "Did you miss your 'edgy brooding on rooftops' quota? I can leave you alone if you still need to fill it out."

"Oh, shut up. I ain't brooding." Kyouko rolled her eyes. "This, though. Will you take a look at this?" Kyouko pointed down at the public park across the street.

Following Kyouko's finger, Sayaka eventually spotted what she was pointing at. "Oh!" It was Homura and Madoka, sitting next to each other on a park bench.

"Yeah, and do you see that next to Homura?"

Sayaka squinted. "Is that… a gift box?"

Kyouko nodded. "I think so. Homura's been hidin' it behind her since they walked into the park, and doin' a shit job, I might add."

"I mean, finesse has never really been her strong suit." Sayaka leaned forward a bit and held her hand above her eyes to keep the sun out. "Do you think she's planning to finally actually confess to her?"

"For my money, probably. It's basically guaranteed Madoka'll say yes. Those two are practically already dating."

"Sounds familiar," Sayaka said, but if Kyouko heard her over the street and the third story winds, she didn't respond.

After the two sat there for a moment, they heard another set of footsteps from behind, and turned to see Mami approaching them. "Good afternoon, you two. How are you doing today?"

Kyouko turned back to the park and shrugged, but Sayaka spoke. "Pretty good, actually." She then pointed to the duo in the park. "We think Homura's about to confess to Madoka."

Walking up to the edge, Mami took a look. "Oh, those are the chocolates she asked me to recommend to her. I recognize the wrapping." Mami looked down at the pair in front of her. "Why are you two spying on Homura and Madoka, anyways?"

"It ain't spying!" Kyouko declined to look back up at Mami. "I was just sittin' here people-watchin' when I saw them walk in."

"It isn't polite to watch people without them knowing like this, you know."

Sayaka spoke up, "But aren't you at least, like, a little bit curious to see it play out? We'll find out it happened eventually anyways."

"We should still wait for them to tell us themselves," Mami said, but protested no further, watching the girls in the park intently.

The trio couldn't hear the conversation from this distance, but Homura was one of those people where you could tell how nervous she was with relative ease from any range. After a couple minutes passed, they all saw Homura shout something, turn her head away, close her eyes tight, and shove the box of chocolates towards Madoka.

All three girls leaned forward as the two in the park were motionless for a moment. It felt like that instant stretched on forever, and they were sure it must have been even worse for the two of them.

The stillness was broken by Madoka practically lunging at Homura, wrapping her arms tight around her and drawing the two of them into a hug, as the box of chocolate tumbled from Homura's hands to the ground. The trio could see Homura visibly relax even from the rooftop and settle into the embrace. 

Kyouko laughed, even as Mami and Sayaka let out little "awws" at the display.

"I'm happy for them," Mami said. "Those two are good for each other."

"Yeah, they're a real cute couple." The trio watched as the hug was broken, then watched as Homura lit up as red as a stop light when Madoka planted a small kiss on her cheek.

"Alright, we've all had a good gawk, but we really should stop spying on them." Mami turned and started to walk back towards the roof access. 

"Yeah, that was a pretty good show." Kyouko stood up and started to leave as well, just as Homura started to fret over the fact she had dropped the chocolates she had bought.

As she walked, she felt an elbow push into her side. Sayaka smirked at her. "So, when are you going to confess to me? Do I get chocolates too?"

Kyouko took a second to process, and then immediately went red in the face (she would later claim it was out of anger) and elbowed Sayaka back. "Shut up! You idiot! Of course I ain't getting you chocolates!"

"Ah, but you are going to confess though?" Sayaka's grin only grew wider, as Mami giggled in response to the scene.

Kyouko pointed an accusing finger at Mami. "Don't you encourage her! She's already annoying enough without you eggin' her on like that!"

"Oh, since when was I the annoying one?" Sayaka took a couple steps back, then leaned forward towards Kyouko. "At least I know how to talk to girls!"

"Why you-!" Kyouko lunged at Sayaka, who took off running towards the roof access stairs, pursued by a furious blur of red hair.

As they barreled into and down the stairwell, Mami sighed. "Be careful, you two!" Her warning seemed to go entirely unheeded, if the echoing sounds of heavy footfalls and shouting were any indication.

Mami shook her head as she walked calmly down the stairwell. Ah, young love, she thought to herself. She was proud of her girls, and was happy to see them happy, even if she couldn't shake that heavy feeling in her own heart.


End file.
